Family Reunion
by CallistoLexx
Summary: Recent murders in LA have been causing Angel to have nightmares of his past and someone from it plots to destroy him.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Angel, Cordelia, Wesley and all other characters of "Angel" and/or "Buffy" that may appear in this story don't belong to me, unfortunately...otherwise Doyle would still be around...However, the characters of Virginia (not the one from Guise will be Guise) and Mnemosyne (sort of) belong to me, please ask before you use them…or at least my characterization of Mnemosyne. 

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** I got the idea for this story from an RPG that I used to co-moderate with one of my best friends, Liz. It got the ideas churning in my head and this is the result. Any questions, any at all, can be sent to me at any time. And let's say that the sister featured in "The Prodigal" wasn't the only sister that Liam/Angelus/Angel had? What if one of his sisters was visiting a friend of the family's when Angel was changed and thereby escaped death? Also, this takes place around three months after "The Prodigal". And I don't watch "Buffy" (SMG annoys the hell out of me about 90% of the time,) so please forgive any information that I have gotten wrong.****

**PLEASE READ THE BELOW FIRST!**

I wrote this story before Lorne actually got his name and he was known simply as The Host. That's why I referred to him that way. Please do not comment about that. I know his name now, this was **_written_** way back in Season 2. 

Secondly, as for Kathy...I kind of didn't want to deal with a child vampire (think _Interview with the Vampire_...I like Kirsten Dunst, but her character was beyond creepy.) Plus I don't think that she would have turned out that warped so I invented Virginia. Kathy probably would have wanted to join Angelus' little family, seeing as how Kathy positively worshipped him. The character of Virginia came from an RPG I used to belong to. So the idea I came up with is that Virginia was away visiting friends when Angelus came back and killed his family and wanted to go off and get rid of his other sister. Meanwhile another clan of vampires (because those things do seem to pop up everywhere) thrashed the villiage that Virginia (then Keelan) was staying in and turned her. And thus the new sister was born. 

**So in summation: Yes, I know Lorne, the Host, is named Lorne. Yes, I know that the sister featured in _The Prodigal_ was named Kathy, but I didn't want to deal with a child vampire. That is why I created Virginia. Are we clear now? Oh, one last thing: I know the sister's name was Kathy.**

Family Reunion

**Chapter 1**

The vampire sank his fangs into his unwilling victim's neck as she struggled, in vain, against him. The thought of changing her entered his mind, but was banished as quickly as it had come. He drained her dry, and as soon as the last drop was gone, he let her lifeless body fall to the ground. 

"Your fate was sealed, as was the rest of our family's...it just took longer to deliver yours!" 

"Keelan!" Angel yelled, sitting up in bed, gasping for unneeded breath. The dream had been coming to him for almost a week now. It was always the same. They had started after a rash of murders broke out over LA. The murders always had something reminiscent of Keelan, the girl in his dreams. 

"Angel? Are you all right?" Cordelia asked in concern as she sat up beside him. 

She and Angel had been tentatively dating for a month or so now. Angel gladly let her stay the night after she and Dennis had gotten into a fight. He had hoped that with her spending the night he wouldn't have the nightmare. 

"Yeah...I'll be fine. Just a bad dream," he explained vaguely. 

She wasn't buying it. "Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?" 

"It's fine. Just go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you up." 

"It's all right. You know that I'm here if you want to talk about it, right?" 

Angel smiled, as he lay down beside her. "Yes, I know. It's just not a big deal." 

Cordelia smiled back. "If you say so." 

()o() ()o() ()o() 

Later that day Cordelia sat at her desk at the new Angel Investigations in the hotel, staring in slight bewilderment at the phone. 

Angel and Wesley walk in at that moment, having just vanquished a band of vampires that were, hopefully, the ones responsible for the murders. Angel would find out that night...if they were the ones responsible for the murders, the dreams would stop. He was almost sure of it. 

"Cordelia?" Wesley asked. "Are you all right?" 

The Seer looked up at them and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Willow just called. Apparently Spike is missing and no one knows where he went. She just called to let us know so we won't be surprised to see him if he's her in LA. He's been gone for about a week." 

"Why would Spike just wander off without some indication?" Angel asked. "That's not like him." 

"I don't know, but it happened," she replied. "He probably won't come here, but you never know." 

Angel nodded in agreement. She was right, one never knew with Spike. 

()o() ()o() ()o() 

"You can't bloody well keep me here. Let me go," Spike demanded, struggling against the chains that bound him. He was rewarded only with female laughter as the girl it belonged to entered the room with a glass of warmed up blood. 

"Now you know that I can't do that. You are valuable to me," she replied after a few moments of silence. She walked closer to him, her light golden-brown hair glowing in the candlelight that lit the dark room that had been Spike's home for a week. "Drink this...for once, it's fresh. I decided to give you a little treat." 

When she held the glass up to his mouth, Spike drank greedily. She wasn't too keen on keeping up with feeding him. The less he complained, the more often he was able to feed. When the small glass was finished, he looked up at her wondering what she now had in store for him. "Why am I invaluable to you?" he asked, straining for a civil tone. 

"Because you hold information on Angel...you have it and I need it. I want to break him piece by piece...I want to make him suffer. For everything he's ever done and for everything he ever wanted to do. He will pay...he will learn to never underestimate me. To never underestimate what lengths I am willing to go to." 

'Oh great,' Spike thought. 'The Poof has managed to piss off yet another person.' He rolled his eyes. "What did he do to you?" 

"He wanted to kill me. Me!" she outraged. "I stuck by him, year after year. I helped him more than I have ever helped anyone. I lied for him, I covered for him, and I cared for him. And he repays it all by searching to kill me." 

"Not this again!" another, new, decidedly male voice said exhaustedly in an accented voice. Spike knows that he had heard it somewhere before. 

She glanced at Spike, seeing that he wanted to know what was going on. She left the room to join her companion, closing the door to Spike's room behind her. "Doyle, you know why we're doing this. I will stop my ranting when Angel is destroyed in a slow, painful manner. Then I will be happy, you will be happy, and everyone else will be happy." She placed the glass in the sink and went into the adjoining living room area and sat next to him on the couch. 

"I still do not think that it is right. Why must I help? What has this Angel ever done to me?" He knew that he had died and that the little savior who sat next to him had brought him back to life somehow, but beyond that he couldn't remember anything. 

'Mnemosyne, you said that you would stop erasing the answer to that question in his mind!' she yelled in her mind. Hopefully her little friend was choosing to listen to her. "Why am I obliged to explain this again? He is the one who killed you," she lied. "He made you face the Scourge's beacon and sacrifice your life for him. And that's only one of the evil things he has done to you. I don't want to worry you with all of them. You deserve so much more than your missing memories. You deserve to be happy. But meanwhile, to stay safe you need to stay with me. You know that. And I want only for you to be safe." 

Doyle nodded. "I know, Virginia, I know." 

"Thank you. Now go rest, you look fatigued." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Virginia!" Wesley exclaimed to an exhausted Angel as he, Wesley, walked through the door to Angel Investigations. 

Angel looked up. He had had another nightmare the previous night. His first thought was that the vamps that were taken care of weren't the ones responsible for the murders. His suspicions were confirmed when Kate called to let him know that another one had happened. "Did she bail out on a date?" he asked the former watcher. 

"No, not Virginia Bryce. I went to visit the Demon MC to see if he knew anything about the person who could be doing this. He said that he remembers a vampire named Virginia who came into the bar with a man and a woman. Virginia got up on stage and sang. He remembers telling her that she would achieve what she was aiming for. He didn't know anything other than that. But we now know what we're looking for. Two women and a man." 

Angel nodded. "Do you think he could describe Virginia and her companions?" 

"I don't know," Wesley replied with a shrug. "We just need to find out where the next murder will take place. There hasn't been any sort of a pattern or sequence to the murders, has there?" 

"No," Cordelia supplied. "If there were, I'm sure that we would have figured it out by now. And the Oracles aren't helping any. The least they could do is send one of the visions down on me to help us." She stopped speaking for a moment. "Great, I'm actually asking for a vision!" 

"Ah...yes. It would be helpful if you were to get one, even more so if you were to get it by tonight. The only thing that we have is that a murder happens each night. So we can all surely agree that another one will happen tonight." 

Cordelia nodded and glanced at Angel. "Are you all right? Did you have another nightmare?" 

"Nightmare? What about?" Wesley asked. He almost couldn't understand why he wasn't told. 

"Yeah, I've been having them since the murders started. It's really not a big deal." He sent a reassuring look at Cordelia. He had only said as much as he did, however sparse the information was, for her sake. 

"They started at the same time as the murders?" the former watcher observed. "What are they about? Maybe we can somehow link them with the killings." 

"I really don't want to talk about it. I'm certain they have nothing to do with one another. The murders are just bring up bad memories," Angel explained flippantly. 'Memories of wishes would be more precise.' 

"Are you absolutely sure? There's nothing? Nothing at all?" 

"Wesley, give it a break. He doesn't have to talk about it if he doesn't want to," Cordelia defended, rolling her eyes at the research guru's persistence. "Angel, why don't you go take a nap? There's nothing really going on. We'll wake you if we find out something important." 

Angel smiled his thanks and slowly got up to go see if he could finally get some uninterrupted rest. 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"They finally know your name," Mnemosyne, Greek Goddess of Memory, informed her little vampire friend. 

"It took them long enough," Virginia replied as she studied her female best friend. She had met the taller, darker haired Goddess a year or so after she, Virginia, had become a vampire. She was traveling through Greece and had noticed a few juvenile delinquents defiling the ancient temple. She killed the children and entered the sanctuary; as it was getting close to dawn. Christian holy grounds were the only holy grounds on which vampires could not tread. The ancient Greek holy grounds were safe. 

Upon entering the shrine she noticed Mnemosyne. The Goddess had been lamenting about everyone not remembering her. She could do many things to a person's memory, but altering their memories to remember her was beyond her powers. She was the one who controlled what they remembered and what they didn't. She could make or break their lives with the twitch of one finger. So when Virginia had suggested revenge and had made it sound superior to all else, Mnemosyne had decided to take her up on it. 

Virginia pointed out the prime candidates for the mind altering and Mnemosyne had done the altering. They had destroyed quite a few lives together. And now they were hoping to absolutely destroy LA...and Angel along the way. 

"Which plan should we go ahead with? A or B?" 

The vampire thought for a few moments. "Will you please show me Angel and his little friends?" 

"Certainly." Mnemosyne waved her hand and an image appeared on the mirror across the room. It was a fairly short synopsis of the past year and a half for Angel and his little business in the City of Angels. 

"Plan B. It will hurt him far more than plan A will," Virginia decided. "What is the Seer doing now?" 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"Why do I have to go talk to Kate?" Cordelia whined. She really did not want to deal with the attitude adjustment-needing cop. 

"Because Angel needs his rest and you really hate research. We need to try and find a pattern in order to learn who the next target is," Wesley explained calmly, not turning away from the computer. 

"Fine. I'll be back as soon as I can get away from her. And if it is as painful as I think it will be, you will pay. I will make sure of it." She grabbed her purse, leaving the office as Wesley nodded distractedly at her. 

Out on the street Cordelia looked for a cab when she was pulled backward, held in a strong grip as a cloth covered with chloroform was held over her mouth and nose. Before she could make a sound she was enclosed in the darkness of unconsciousness. 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

An hour later Cordelia slowly came to and looked around the dark room. She heard another person in the room and looked around to see whom else was there. 

"So the Poof's little girlfriend finally decides to wake up," the familiar accented voice commented loudly, startling the brunette Seer. 

"Spike," she remarked. 'Could this day possibly get any worse?' 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"Where's Cordelia?" Angel asked as he came down the stairs and saw that his girlfriend wasn't there. 

"She went to visit Kate to see if she had anything more that could help us. She left an hour ago and they're probably just not getting down to business," Wesley answered, alternating between looking at the computer monitor and a large tome that he had on the desk next to him. 

The vampire shook his head. They, Kate and Cordelia, probably wouldn't be getting down to business anytime soon. The phone rang and he noticed that Wesley wasn't going to answer it, absorbed as he was in the research. "Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless." 

"Angel? This is Kate. Has Cordelia left the office yet?" the detective's irate voice rang out over the phone. 

"She's not there yet?" he inquired, a wave of dread washing through him. 

"No, she's not there either?" 

"No. She left an hour ago." He hung up without saying anything more. 

Wesley looked up at him. "She's missing, isn't she?" 

"This Virginia person must have her. We need to find them both, now." He turned on his heel and left the hotel, pausing only to grab a couple of stakes. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"What are you doing here?" Cordelia asked Spike. He was one person she definitely did not want to see. 

"Probably for the same reason as you. Essentially, at least. I'm here to give the Vamp in need of a Shrink the goods on Peaches. And you're here to torture him into thinking something terribly wrong happened to you," Spike explained easily. He wasn't in the mood not to talk to her. At least now he had someone to keep him company other than Virginia and her little friend coming in at least once a day. 

"Correct, Beach Boy," Virginia said, entering the guest room. "But don't worry, little girl. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to let Liam think that I did," she explained, inadvertently using Angel's mortal name. "If you don't struggle, this won't hurt." 

Cordelia's eyes widened as she noticed the large syringe in the female Vampire's hands. "What are you going to do with that?" 

"I need some of your blood. You know, to send a message to Angel. To let him know that if he doesn't cooperate, you die." 

Cordy sent a look at Spike, silently asking if this little girl was for real. She was rewarded with a slight nod as Virginia inserted the needle into her arm. 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

Angel and Wesley returned from searching for Cordelia. There wasn't a trace of her anywhere, no little inkling of any possible places where she could be. They entered the Hotel and were about to go into the research room when they heard two female voices talking, one harshly, but quietly, talking to the other. The two men slowly and silently walked to the door that led to Angel's room. They stopped before the door, observing what was going on in the room. 

"Gin, they are in the building. I can sense them. I can sense their memories," the slightly shorter and darker-haired of the two said to the other, who was painting a message on the wall in what Angel deduced was blood. Cordelia's blood. 

"I'm not finished yet. Almost, but not completely. And they won't know what I'm trying to tell them. I mean we do want him to suffer, don't we?" 

"It's you do and sure. Just hurry." 

"Mnemosyne, calm down. I'm almost done. Just one little word left. Don't have a little divine coronary." 

Angel burst into the room and pointed a stake at the one named Mnemosyne. "Tell me what you did with Cordelia or she gets staked."   
  
Virginia turned around and glared at Angel, delighting in the shock that appeared on his face when he saw her. "I don't think so, my dear Liam. One, she's a goddess. She won't die. And two, you can't do anything to me or to her. If you do, your little girlfriend, do you understand that, dear brother of mine?" 

Before Angel could reply, Mnemosyne broke from his grasp and went over to Virginia and waved her hand. There was a bright flash of light and the sound of thunder. When the light and sound went away, Angel and Wesley were alone in the room. 

"Angel? Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost," the ex-watcher said, looking at his friend who had sunk to the floor. 

"I think I did. That was my sister...Keelan." 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

A couple of hours later, Cordelia was tired of ignoring Angel's 'grandchild.' "What did Angelus ever do to her?" she finally asked, the curiosity controlling her thoughts. 

"I don't know much," Spike answered. Even though he didn't want to be, he was glad that she was through ignoring him. "He tried to destroy her years ago and she's now got this strange fascination with the bloody Poof." 

"That's all you know?" 

"Yes. I can't remember him ever wanting to destroy a Virginia. She probably changed her name after she was changed, as most of us do." 

"Do you think he was the one who changed her?" 

"No. She wouldn't want to annihilate him if he had." Spike thought for a few moments. "I do remember him avidly wanting to destroy a girl he called Keelan. It's all he talked about sometimes. It got utterly boring after a while." 

"Did he ever find her?" 

"No. Not that I know of." 

They were silent for a few moments before Cordelia spoke up. "He dreamt of Keelan the other night. It was a nightmare. What else do you know about her?" 

"Nothing. Darla or Drusilla would probably know more." 

"But neither of them are here. The two of them ran off after the massacre at Wolfram and Hart." 

"But you wouldn't want to talk to them anyway." 

"Right." 

The door opened and they squinted at the light that was let in. They had been in complete darkness for quite a while. 

"Gin and Mnemosyne asked me to bring in your dinners," the Irish-accented voice explained, fully entering the room. 

Cordelia's mouth opened and closed in shock, trying to make some articulate sound come out. "Doyle?" 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"Your sister? Did Angelus change her instead of killing her like the rest of the family?" Wesley asked in a mixed combination of shock and curiosity. 

"No," Angel still looked stunned. He glanced up at Wesley and the former watcher noticed that he had the trace of tears in his eyes before the vampire looked down again, lost in thought. "I wanted to kill her like the rest of the family. But I could never find her. When I was changed, Keelan was visiting some friends a few towns over, so she didn't die with the rest of my family. I went searching for her, but I never found her. Eventually I had to give up. I thought that she was surely dead by then. I never thought that she would have gotten changed. She looks exactly the same as I last saw her. She must have gotten changed around the same time. 

"I was always closest with her as opposed to the rest of the family. She thought ahead of the time. I'm sure she fits in better now than she did then. She was a feminist right from the beginning. Our father thought that she should either become a nun or get married. She refused to do either of them. She refused to be thought of as a possession and she never liked religion. That made the whole family mad. Well, everyone but myself. She had always vowed that she would never hurt me or betray me. I'm the one who ended up betraying her. By wanted to kill her. She must have found out about it and something must have snapped. Now she wants me to pay." 

Wesley was silent throughout the tale. He could tell that it was hard for Angel to say so much. Especially so much about something so personal. "So she now has Cordelia in order to make you suffer." 

Angel nodded. "Ever since I got my soul, I've regretted killing my family and wanting to kill her. But I now have the feeling that she won't believe me. Why should she? I wanted to brutally maim and kill her. And to this day, I still don't know why I wanted to. Even when I was Angelus, I didn't know why. I should have known that I'd pay for it. I shouldn't have underestimated Keelan...Virginia...whoever she is now. I always knew that she'd be powerful and really make something out of herself. And now she's the female Angelus, from what I've seen and heard so far. And as twisted as this sounds, I'm proud of her for that. She became powerful." 

"I guess it's just natural to want your family to do things to the best of their capabilities, isn't it." 

"I guess." 

"If you have to, would you stake her?" 

Angel looked up at Wesley again; the former watcher was now sitting on the floor across from him. "I don't know. I really don't know. I don't want to. She's my sister and I know she's in there somewhere. I want her back. But that may not be possible unless..." 

"We find a gypsy or a witch to curse her with a soul?" Wesley completed the thought as more of a question than a statement. 

"Yeah. Do you think Willow could do it?" 

The younger man could see the hope shining through Angel's eyes. He really wished that he friend wouldn't get his hopes up in case it didn't work, but he also knew that he couldn't stop that from happening. "Maybe. We'd have to ask her." 

The vampire nodded his head decisively. "Call Willow and I'll try to figure out where Cordy is if I can from the message that Kee left," he said, looking at the message on the wall. 

He recognized the handwriting as Keelan's. It was her slightly messy printing that looked as though she had only had a minute to write the note. And as he had guessed, the blood was Cordelia's. Thankfully, though, the letters were fairly small and thin, which made him think that not a lot of his girlfriend's blood had been taken. Or at least he hoped.   


IF YOU THOUGHT, OR DO THINK, THAT YOU COULD, AND CAN, GET THE BETTER OF ME, YOU THOUGHT, AND DO THINK, WRONG. I HAVE ALL THE POWER NOW, AND YOU DON'T. AND MY ALLIES WON'T CROSS ME. IF YOU HOPE TO EVER SEE YOUR LITTLE SEER ALIVE AGAIN, YOU MUST DO AS I SAY. TO FIND US, YOU MUST USE YOUR BRAIN AND THINK OF WHERE, IN LA, YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME...MOST OF WHICH IS NOT ON YOUR SIDE. IF YOU DON'T FIND US BY TOMORROW'S SUNRISE, THE LITTLE ACTRESS WILL DIE. CORDIALLY—VIRGINIA 

Angel took the message down on a sheet of paper so he could take it with him. But where did he spend a lot of time in LA? The sewers? He knew that she wouldn't be that vague. The old AI offices were burnt completely to the ground, so it couldn't be there. And he would surely know if they were still in the Hotel. Where could she be talking about? 

"Willow and Giles are looking into it. They'll get back to use as soon as they can. Are you having any luck?" 

"I think I am," Angel answered positively. "But she would only know if it, if she is working with Spike." 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Why would he work with her?" Wesley asked confused. The last he had heard, Spike had involuntarily turned good. 

"As much as I hate saying this because I'm her brother, look at her. She is a good-looking woman. I'm sure she turned on her charm. If she even has any. She didn't have much charm when I last knew her." 

"Do you know where she was talking about?" 

"Yes, I think I do. There's this apartment that I stayed in before I ever went to Sunnydale. It was where Whistler first found me. The reason Spike knows of it was because he found it once when he was bored and just wanted to bother me. Although he forgot to factor in the part where Drusilla would want to use him for target practice because of it." 

"And this is where you think that Virginia has Cordelia?" 

"It's the only place I can think of. The apartment I stayed in after first coming back here from Sunnydale, I moved out of because I moved into the AI building. So not much time was spent there. And I know Virginia, she would never use a burned out shell for a building. She hated all things that even hinted of dilapidation. And it would be too obvious to be holding her here." 

"So when do we go get her? The sun is coming up." 

"Now. That's the good thing about sewer access." 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"Yes, it's me. You are Angel's link to the Powers that Be, aren't you?" Doyle asked. He remembered all that Virginia had told him about Angel and Cordelia, but he wanted to make sure. It's not that he didn't trust Gin; it's just that this girl didn't seem all that evil. Of course, it was probably because she was in chains. 

"Do you remember me?" Cordelia asked, starting to get an even worse feeling about this whole situation. Someone she considered a member of her family was back from the dead, but was working for the bad side. 

"You're Angel's Seer who helped him force me into the beacon in order to save himself and you," he replied, ignoring the look of confusion that crossed the young seer's face. 

"Angel didn't force you into it. You forced him to stay away from it. You sacrificed yourself for us...for your friends." 

"Gin says different. And since she's the one who saved me from death, I would rather believe her." 

Spike shook his head and let out a short bitter laugh. "Virginia is definitely not the most honest person in the world. I wouldn't believe most of what she says." 

Doyle's eyes grew cold and narrow as they focused on the vampire. "I can kill you now, if that's what you want. And from the sound of what you're saying, that is what you want." 

"I don't think that Virginia would be very happy if you did that, now would she?" he countered. 

"It wouldn't bother her. She already gave me the go ahead before she left. If you gave me any trouble, I can dust you. But I must keep the girl alive." 

"What makes you think she wasn't just lying? How do you know that she won't just kill you once she's done with you?" 

"She wouldn't do that. I know her as well as anyone can know her. She is the Savior and she wouldn't lie. Her lying would destroy the world. I know that...I'm not as clueless as she believes that I am. She knows that I get visions, but she doesn't know of what. I tell her that they remain from when I was living before. She told me that I had gotten visions then, as well. Visions that helped Angel. So I keep up that little ruse. She has no control over what she is doing at the moment. The Powers that Be are the ones controlling her. Everything has its purpose and she is just living up to what she was born to do. What no one knows is that I know when she's lying. The PTB put me in charge of her, and I make sure that the only lies I let her get away with are ones that won't hurt anyone. And she has yet to tell one like that." 

"So what are you saying exactly?" Cordelia asked. At least he wasn't totally snowed by her. It was just a matter of time until he remembered what his life was like before he died. 

"That she is not controlling anything in her life...she's just a pawn in an elaborate game set up by the PTB. And very shortly, she will have served her purpose. And I'm just here to help." 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"You're sending him on a what?" Mnemosyne asked in shock. She wasn't sure if she had heard her friend right. "And won't you hurry...he'll be here soon." 

"No he won't. He'll be too busy trying to figure out where here is. And he will be dealing with the shock of seeing his little sister who should be long dead by now. And you heard me," Virginia answered. "I'm sending him on a scavenger hunt. And the little Seer and Doyle are the prizes. And if he wants it, so is Spike. I'm not sure why anyone would want him, but he just might. I just hope I don't end up dusting him first." 

"What's he going to have to collect?" 

"You'll just have to wait and see. There is no reason why you need to know," she finished haughtily. 

The goddess had had enough. She and the vampire were supposed to be partners in this big plan that the former had. But now she was being kept out. Mnemosyne had decided a week ago that she wouldn't take it anymore. The next time she kept her out of the plans, the vampire would pay. 

Mnemosyne grabbed Virginia by the throat and slammed her up against the wall, her hand around the younger girls' throat, holding her with her supernatural strength. "Do you think I'm just going to accept that? I'm stronger than you could ever be, you do understand that, don't you? You are to listen to me. I can kill you with just a snap of my fingers. And I won't hesitate to do it!" 

Gin glared at the older woman with her yellow eyes that went with her game face. She was clawing at the hand that held her throat. She wasn't being suffocated, as a mortal would be in this position, but it was still damned uncomfortable. She kicked and clawed at her captor, but it got her nowhere. The deity didn't even flinch. "Let go of me!" she growled. "You can't get your revenge without me and you know it. I'm not as indispensable as you seem to think. Just as you are not indispensable to me. We need each other in order to exact our separate revenge." 

"In your dreams! I don't need you. I may have at one time, but things have changed since then. You taught me more than you think you have. I don't need you anymore...but I put up with you. I'm stronger now and I can pick out the memory candidates just as well as you can. And you can't get in my way now." A wooden stake materialized in the goddess' free hand and she held it over the vampire's heart. "I can destroy Angel all on my own. And don't think that I won't." 

Gin started at the stake that was quickly coming down at her unbeating heart. She prepared herself for the force of the sharp piece of wood making its way through her heart, but it never came, stopping just an inch away from her chest. She looked around to see what had stopped it from finishing her off and saw someone she had thought wouldn't be there for quite a while yet. 

"Let my sister go," Angel said, his voice as cold and hard as steel. He had a large sword resting against Mnemosyne's neck, his stance ready to kill. "I won't hesitate to kill you...let her go." 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Mnemosyne laughed and turned to look at Angel, not relinquishing her hold on Virginia. "Do you really believe that that puny sword will be able to kill me?" 

"Maybe not, but it will harm you," Angel replied, pressing the sword more firmly against the goddess' neck. "Let my sister go. Now." 

The deity raised her free hand to send the older vampire flying across the room, but stopped her actions as a plan to torture both vampires entered her mind. And odd smile revealed itself across her face as her gaze swept between the siblings. "This won't be the last time either of you see me. You will both regret ever crossing me." 

In a flash of light she was gone and Virginia slid down the wall and onto the floor. She cast a wary glance at her brother before slowly standing up, ignoring the hand he had held out to her in an offer to help her stand. 

Angel was cautious of his sister's calm silence. She was never this silent after a scene like what had taken place. "Keelan? Are you all right?" 

"That little bitch!" she screamed after a few moments of silence. "She owes me more than even she knows! And look at how she repays me!" 

Both Angel and Wesley, who was still standing in the doorway to the passage that held the sewer passage, stood completely still as the younger vampire grabbed the sword out of Angel's hand and started hacking at an old table that was still in the old apartment. 

The elder vampire had forgotten what his little sister's temper tantrums were like, but they all came back in a rush as he watched her pummel the table. Someone usually got hurt during her violent hissy fits that ruled her brain when she was upset. 

"This is all your fault, Mac!" she screamed the accusation at him, her yellow eyes glowing. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess!" She launched the sword at him with perfect accuracy at his throat. 

Angel dodged out of the way at the last possible moment and ran straight for his sister, tackling her to the ground and held her still as best he could. It had been such a long time since he had heard anyone call him by the first syllable of his last name, MacDougal. And even then she was the only one who ever called him that. "Keelan! Calm down!" 

"Don't call me Keelan! I'm not her anymore. I haven't been her since I learned your true nature. Let go of me!" 

Angel knew that she was referring to him wanting to kill her like he had the rest of the family. He wanted to explain things to her. But he had a feeling that she wouldn't listen to him at all. "Will you hurt me or any of my friends?" 

"No," she replied evenly. 

He couldn't tell if she was lying or not. He decided to take a chance. After all, this was his little sister, how different could she be? She was just upset at him now...they always made up. He slowly let go of her and stood up, helping to pull her up. 

He walked over to the wall and pulled out the sword that was lodged there after being thrown at him and walked back to his sister, placing his hand on her back. He gently guided her over to Wesley, whom he handed the sword to. 

All was silent as Angel led her to the sewer access when she stopped dead still, a thought occurring to her. 

"Doyle!" she gasped with unneeded breath. Her friend just had to be all right. If Mnemosyne had done anything to him, there would definitely be hell to pay. She hurried down into the sewers oblivious to the stunned looks that her brother and the former watcher were sending her way. 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"And what is her purpose?" Cordelia asked, hoping to get to the Doyle she knew and loved that she was sure was still inside him somewhere. 

"I do not know that. I just know that I am to help her. I am to follow the visions to the best of my ability to help her achieve her destiny," Doyle replied as a bright flash of light appeared in the main room. 

"Hi honeys, I'm home!" Mnemosyne called out brightly, heading for the guest room where she was sure that she would find Doyle and their two captives. 

"Mnemosyne, you're back so soon?" the Irishman commented. "Is Virginia with you?" 

"No. She's been...detained for a while. She sent me here to complete the next part of her plan." 

Doyle knew there was something off about this whole situation. Virginia was one to take care of all the details herself, trusting no one but herself to carry them out correctly. "What did you do to her?" 

"You always were an intuitive one," the goddess smiled, revealing the hand she had hidden behind her back and she revealed a gun. She swiftly brought the butt of it down across his head, knocking him into unconsciousness. "Now," she said, "we play by my rules. And I can't guarantee that you will live." 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Cordelia groaned as she awoke. For the second time in just as many days she had been drugged with chloroform and she, for one, was getting sick of it. She had a feeling that anything that Mnemosyne did to her would be extraordinarily worse than anything that Virginia would have ever done to her. 

She cracked her eyes open a bit and noticed that she was chained down on a cold slab of stone, her arms and legs fastened to their coinciding corners. She turned her head and noticed Spike and Doyle laying the same way, one on either side of her. They were in a large room of what, she deduced, was a large crypt. There were a few candelabras scattered throughout the large marble chamber and they revealed shadows that fell over all the objects in the room. 

"Are you guys alright?" she asked, her voice sounding hoarse. 

"I've been better," Spike replied, sounding vastly better than the mortal girl. "I have the feeling that we are now officially in trouble." 

"As if you weren't in it before," Doyle replied from the other side of Cordy. "I'm doing all right. It's an improvement over the vision migraines." 

Cordelia nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. "What do you two think is going to happen to us?" 

The Seer was rewarded with the sound of a large heavy door being slammed open and high heels clacking their way to the captives. 

"I can answer that for you, dear," Mnemosyne responded loudly. "You three are my revenge against the vampire siblings. Well, two of you are. Unfortunately, I don't think either Angel or Virginia will really care what happens to you, Spike. But one can hope." The goddess turned her attention to the other, more valuable, captives. "Miss Chase, you are rather important to Angel and the ultimate revenge on him will be to kill you in front of his own eyes. And Mr. Doyle, since you have become rather important to the traitorous Virginia, you shall receive the same fate as the Actress and be killed in front of Gin." 

"What brought this on?" Doyle asked. "I thought you and Gin were best friends?" 

"She started to cut me out of the plans of which we were to be equal partners. She's done it before and I vowed the next time that were to happen, there would be hell to pay and she's done it again. She will pay for everything she has ever done to anyone in the world...past and present." 

"And you're using them to do it?" Spike asked. "Why not just kill Peaches and his sister and let them be tortured in Hell? It would be more fulfilling." 

"If Angel was brought back once, what's to make you think he won't be brought back again?" The deity left then leaving Spike to ponder that little bit of advice. 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"Doyle?" Angel questioned, pulling back on his little sister's arm. 

Virginia looked at him in annoyance. "You know who I'm talking about. Little Irish half-demon, gets visions, loves liquor, and was dead. Now will you let me go? I have to get to him, not to mention your little girlfriend and the irritating bleached blond vampire that is your grandchilde." 

"Doyle is alive?" Wesley interjected, wondering how that happened. 

"Yeah, I found a spell which makes people come back from the dead. I had heard about Angel's first Seer and that he had died. I thought that bringing him back and have him work with me would, in part, destroy Angel. But I'm not going to have a chance to find out if that is true if Mnemosyne has him! Now can I please go find him?" 

Angel had never thought that his sister could get so...hard and slightly deranged. "We're all going. You're not going to be able to destroy Mnemosyne on your own, Gin." 

Gin let out a bitter laugh as she turned and continued down into the sewer system, leaving the two men to follow her. "As if three of us are going to have any better luck if we work together. She's a god, literally. She cannot die. None of us will have any luck. The only way to incapacitate her would be to chop her into many tiny pieces and bury her on all corners of the earth. It would take a long time for her to reassemble herself." 

"How were all the other gods, if they existed, destroyed?" Angel asked. 

"They were not worshipped any more and by having their temples abandoned by all adulation, they were obliterated. But Mnemosyne is needed alive, if not completely put together. She is what controls people's memory. If she were to ever die...we would definitely have no capacity to remember." 

"What if she were to go into a coma?" Wesley queried. 

"Since she's not able to die, all memories would be in tact. Why?" This little mortal was really starting to get on her nerves, but Gin figured that Angel would dust her if she were to kill the little ex-watcher. 

"A couple weeks ago I came across a spell that could put a person into an eternal coma," he replied, almost bumping into her as she stopped at a ladder leading up to a sewer grate. 

"That would work," she said slightly absentmindedly as she started to ascend the ladder. She easily moved the grate over and pulled herself in the room above. She helped Angel and Wesley up and moved the grate back into place. 

The two men followed her through the basement of the large apartment building. After a few moments, they finally came to a door, which Gin promptly flung open. Neither vampire could hear Cordelia or Doyle's heartbeats and they knew that no one, other than them, was there. 

"Virginia, do you know where Mnemosyne took them?" Angel asked in concern. He wanted his friends to be safe and he knew that they definitely wouldn't be if they were with the deranged Goddess. 

"Yes...I do. But first we need to go get that coma spell. I have a plan. We are going to get them back, safe and sound," she replied, a mischievous smile on her face. She turned to them. "Now lead the way" 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"So you can't remember which book it was in, correct?" 

"That is correct." 

"Can you at least remember what language it was in, you over-educated buffoon?" 

"Over-educated buffoon? Listen here you little Gaelic Barbie doll..." 

"Barbie doll!? Why you irritating British excuse for a man..." 

"Excuse me! Are you insulting my manhood?" 

"What? Did I stutter? I thought that it was clear enough the first time!" 

"Will you two just shut up and start searching for that spell!" Angel shouted at the fighting duo. They had been fighting since they had arrived back at the Hyperion to search for the spell. The vampire had found himself missing the fights that his girlfriend had with the ex-watcher. At least they didn't have the potential to turn physical. Angel wasn't sure how much longer it would be before Virginia and Wesley would start throwing punches. The former was already in full vamp face. 

"I believe that we should listen to him. We need to find the spell by nightfall," Wesley agreed, pulling himself away from the fight. 

Virginia only growled quietly and muttered, "annoying ingrate," under her breath, loud enough only for Angel to hear before she turned and grabbed another spell book. 

"It's in Hungarian," Wesley spoke up quietly a few moments later. 

"What?" Virginia asked as the two vampires looked up at him. 

"The spell. It's in Hungarian. You asked what language it was in." 

"Oh. Thank you," she replied, stumbling over the last words. She rarely ever thanked anyone for anything. 

The trio spent the rest of the day searching for the spell, Wesley and Virginia occasionally taking breaks to fight with each other about whether or not Wesley was lying about the spell's existence. Finally about two hours before sunset the former watcher found the spell and set about translating it, occasionally making comments about the ingredients they'd need to create the powder that would activate the spell once thrown onto the goddess. 

Angel stood up and walked over to where Virginia was seated at a vacant desk, her feet propped up on its surface, intently reading one of the spell books she had been assigned to search through. The elder vampire sat down in a chair across the desk from her and watched her read for a few moments. "Keelan?" he finally asked. 

She flinched a bit, but kept on reading, ignoring her brother as best she could. 

"Keelan," he tried again, receiving the same reaction. "Virginia?" 

"Hmmmm?" she responded not looking up from the book. 

"Can we talk? Have a real conversation, I mean." 

"I'm listening. What do you want to talk about?" 

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I wanted to kill you. When I didn't have a soul, you and everyone else didn't mean anything to me. I still don't really know why I wanted to kill you. You had always done so much for me. I guess I just wanted revenge on the world." 

She glanced up at him, her eyes an icy blue tinged with golden yellow as her vampire face threatened to cover her face. "And you're telling me this why?" 

She always had been difficult. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry and that I will always regret wanting to kill you." 

"Dually noted." 

Angel rolled his eyes. He hadn't known what to expect from her, but he had hoped that she'd at least give him a look that suggested that things might, eventually, one day, be all right between them again. He should have known that that was hoping for too much. He stood up and joined Wesley so they could gather the ingredients in the Coma spell's powder. 

Virginia remained seated; staring at the same page she had been since Angel had first come over to speak with her. 

Shanshu: Making Humans From Demons 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"Do you two honestly believe that the Poof and his sister will actually come rescue us?" Spike asked after he got tired of lying there in silence. 

"Spike. Shut up!" Doyle ground out. The bleached-blond vampire had always gotten on his nerves from the first time he remembered meeting him. 

"Doyle, that won't work. He's annoying no matter what he does. And he doesn't take orders," Cordelia said, relieved that the vampire had actually said something. She had never known him to be silent for so long. "They're coming. Angel and Wesley wouldn't let anything stop them from saving us." 

"Except that they can't exactly kill Miss Holy-Butt in the other room!" 

"They'll think of a way, Spike. If Cordelia has faith in them, we should too," Doyle said as calmly as he could. 

"You mean believe the girl who had faith that Xander Harris wouldn't cheat on her with the little redheaded witch?" 

"Rude much?" Cordelia asked. She was way over Xander, but it was still rude for him to have said something like that. 

"Just leave her alone, man," the half-demon seer said, more than a hint of hostility in his voice. 

"Doyle, let it be. He really doesn't bother me. Angel is right, after a while it does get easier to tune him out." 

"Peaches never said that!" Spike responded, not believing that his grandsire had. 

"I swear on my life that Angel said that," the girl answered, trying to hold in a laugh. 

The sound of a door slamming open cut off all conversation from the trio of captives. It was coming from the outside room that contained Mnemosyne. 

"See, I told you they'd come!" Cordelia laughed, causing Spike to roll his eyes in annoyance. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_~~Few creatures of the night have captured our imagination like vampires.~~_

"Are you sure this is where they are?" Angel asked his sister, not wanting to waste any more time. 

They were standing in front of a large stone mausoleum that stood in a graveyard near the outskirts of LA. It towered before them in an intimidating presence. The stone was white with gray flecks, lending to the look of marble. Gargoyles were perched on the roof, one facing each of the four main directions. 

"Yes. She loves this building," Virginia explained, her voice monotonous. "We found it shortly after arriving in town. Whenever she was missing I could find her here. She was upset that we didn't make it our hideout." She brushed her golden-brown hair out of her face. "Come on. We have people to free and goddesses to put to sleep." 

That was all the encouragement the other two needed. The trio moved confidently up the stairs leading to the door, which they slammed open. 

"Lucy, I'm home!" Gin called out in a faux Cuban accent like that of Ricky Ricardo from 'I Love Lucy.' 

Mnemosyne jumped up from the chaise lounge she had created in the large outer chamber. She had transformed the cold room into something that vaguely resembled a home. She was in the middle of what appeared to be a sort of a housewarming party. A dozen or so vampires were scattered throughout the room, all glaring at the intruders. 

_~~What explains our enduring fascination with vampires?_   
_What is it about the vampire myth that explains our interest?~~_

"So you are all finally here," the goddess replied disinterestedly. "We've been waiting for you." 

"Give them back to us," Angel ordered referring to Cordelia, Doyle and Spike, all of whom he assumed were in the other room. 

"And who are you to order me around? I'm the one holding all the cards!" the deity laughed. 

'Screw this,' Virginia thought, pulling a stake out from her sleeve. She launched herself toward the nearest vampire that wasn't Angel and promptly dusted him. This sent everyone else into action. 

_~~Is it the overtones of sexual lust? Power? Control?_   
_Or is it a fascination with the immortality of the undead?~~_

Angel and Wesley ran for the nearest vampire to each of them and set to work slaying Mnemosyne's private army. The goddess moved to the back of the room, watching the battle in glee. 

Angel let loose with another punch that hit the face of another vampire to the sound of crunching bones. The vampire flew back a few feet, impaling on the spike that Gin was holding out. She quickly removed it to plunge it into the heart of another vampire that was charging toward her. 

Wesley was slowly making his way toward the door that led to the other room to free the three captives as the Goddess' attention was still focused on the siblings who were actually fighting on the same side. He was sure that she would see him once he got to the door, but, amazingly, she didn't, her look turning from glee to horror as her army count dwindled down. The former watcher slowly pushed the heavy door open. 

The room he entered was dark, lit only by a few diminishing candles. He saw three stone platforms with the outlines of three people lying on them. He was too far away to be able to tell if they were still alive or not. 

_~~And what dark and hidden parts of our psyche are aroused and captivated, by the legends of the undead?_   
_By the legends of the undead._   
_By the legends of the undead.~~_

"Cordelia?" he called out softly, slowly walking toward the platforms. 

"Wesley?" she replied in question, a smug tone in her voice. "See Spike? I so definitely told you so!" 

_~~The mystery of the undead will continue to fascinate the living._   
_The mystery of the undead will continue to._   
_Will continue to fascinate._   
_The._   
_The Living.~~_

"Oh shut up," the vampire grumbled. 

"Nice comeback." Her voice was laced with amusement. 

By that time Wesley was by Cordelia and was examining the chains that bound her. 

"I believe that I may be able to get these to open," he mumbled more to himself than to the captives. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the hairpin that he had gotten from the Seers desk before they left the office. He was about to insert it into the lock after straightening it when a strong, cold hand grasped his wrist. 

"I don't think so," Mnemosyne's cold voice rang out as she squeezed her hand tighter around the mortal's wrist. The sound of snapping bones echoed through the room. 

"Why don't you play with someone your own size?" Virginia asked as she and Angel made their way into the room after dusting all members of the vampire army. "Or at least someone who isn't mortal!" 

"Virginia, I think we could have continued to have been wonderful partners. If only you weren't so...you," the goddess struggled to come up with a word to describe the young vampire who was moving stealthily toward her. 

"And what makes you think I wouldn't have dumped you as you did me? I was going to do that, you know. After Angel was destroyed, you were getting kicked to the curb. I don't really mind that you're gone." She noticed the slight look of shock that momentarily crossed over the goddess' face. "Surprised, I see. You can't really think I would have kept you around! But it's sweet that you did. I do have to tell you that you are one prime example of dead weight. You bring me down. You bring everyone down." 

By this time Angel was helping Wesley free the three captives while keeping an eye on the two immortal women who were facing off. He instinctively knew that something big was going to happen. But he didn't know what. 

"You are going to pay for that," Mnemosyne threatened. 

"Bring it on! I'm ready and willing. Do your worst!" the vampiress challenged. 

The goddess gave her a slap that threw her to the ground. When she came back up, she had a gleaming knife in her hand and she started to slowly wave it around. 

"I've had worse," she stated. 

"You three get out of here," Angel whispered to Doyle, Cordelia, and Spike. "We'll take care of Mnemosyne." 

"You can't kill her, Peaches, so there is nothing you can do," the blond vampire stated. 

"Don't doubt me," Angel replied with a roll of his eyes as he turned back to the verbal spat that was taking place between his sister and the goddess. "Wesley, are you ready?" 

"Yes," Wesley answered, pulling the vile filled with the catalyst powder and the sheet of paper that he had copied the spell onto. 

"On the count of three. One...two..." 

Before Angel could get to three, the little catfight became heated even more. Virginia leapt forward, slicing the dagger across the other woman's abdomen. The red blood flowed from the wound, coating the knife. 

There was a flash of light as Mnemosyne materialized a stake in her hand and brought it down toward her enemy's heart. 

Before the stake struck home, Gin turned and launched the bloodied knife at Angel, piercing him in the leg. As the knife made contact, Virginia called out a spell in Latin. "Degero denique! Immortalis malum rgenero quia aliquis homo hominis! Degero itaque defungo quia aliquis letalis itaque prosum!" 

Angel watched as the stake was stabbed through his sister's chest on her last word and she exploded into dust. 

_~~Vampires._   
_Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.~~_

"Virginia!" he yelled, momentarily staring at the pile of ashes. Quickly coming out of his stupor he yanked the vile of powder out of Wesley's hand and ran toward the goddess. He opened it and poured the contents onto her as the former watcher began the incantation. 

"Ialhatatlan tépofarkas álom és örökké. Lehet ez egyszer és mindenkorra van híred ördögien út. Álom örökké. Álom!" 

The powder covering the goddess began to glow lavender, completely engulfing the goddess in the light. Once the light fully overcame her, she collapsed onto the floor in a deep sleep. 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

"So what exactly did you do to her?" Cordelia asked a few hours later when they were all back at the Hyperion Hotel safe and sound after placing Mnemosyne in an empty stone coffin that was in the crypt. 

"We put her in a coma," Wesley replied, shooting another concerned glance at Angel, who had not spoken since they had left the catacomb. 

_~~Few creatures of the night have captured our imagination like vampires.~~_

"And she won't come out of it?" Doyle questioned. He had been as quiet as Angel, wondering what purpose Virginia had actually performed. 

"We do not think so. But if it doesn't, it will have weakened her," the rogue demon slayer answered as he handed the book that contained the spell to Doyle and Cordelia. The book was opened to the page of the spell and it's English translation that he had penciled in. 

"Immortal devil sleep deeply and eternally. May this once and for all end your devilish ways. Sleep Eternally. Sleep," the half-demon repeated softly. "For everyone's sake, I hope it works." 

"Yes," Wesley agreed, glancing at Angel yet again. "Angel? Do you have any idea what was going through Virginia's mind when she threw the dagger at you?" 

"She was trying to hurt him, what other reason could there be?" Cordelia answered for her boyfriend. 

"I don't think she wanted to hurt me," Angel spoke up. "She has always had good aim. If she wanted to cause me a serious injury that would take longer to heal, she would have aimed higher toward my head, but she didn't. And the words...does anyone know what they meant? She said them so fast I couldn't understand." 

"She was casting a spell," another British voice spoke up. 

Everyone in the room looked at Spike, who was holding up a book that had been lying open on the desk that Virginia had last sat up. 

_~~What explains our enduring fascination with vampires?~~_

"She was actually helping you, Poof," the vampire elaborated, looking at the open pages. He glanced at them all briefly before reading from the book. "Shanshu: Making Humans From Demons. This spell is nearly impossible to perform, as you need the blood from a god. Very few gods exist any longer and those that do remain in hiding. To complete the spell, you need to mingle the blood of the god with that of the blood in the demon you wish to humanize. As the blood begins to merge you must recite the incantation to bind the demon's humanity." Spike took a short break, taking in the looks of shock that were on the faces of the other occupants of the room. He shook his head and continued on with the English translation of the Latin invocation. "Live again. Immortal Evil be reborn as a human. Live and die as a mortal and do good." He placed the book, still open, down onto the desk. "She gave her life to make you human." 

_~~And what dark and hidden parts of our psyche are aroused and captivated by the legends of the undead?_   
_By the legends of the undead.~~___

_{{Song Credit: "Vampires" ©2000 Universal Records. Music by Sully and Robbie and is found on Godsmack's Album Awake. Contains dialogue from the program Mysterious Forces Beyond, courtesy of Forces Beyond Productions administered through Jogar Music Publishing, Inc.}}_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Have you found anything yet, Wesley?" Cordelia asked two weeks later. 

The coma spell on Mnemosyne was still holding. Someone, usually Doyle, would go check on the Goddess to make sure everything was as it should be. Everything had gotten more or less back to normal. Everyone, except Spike who went back to Sunnydale, worked together to defeat whatever visions Cordelia and Doyle had. 

Angel, however, was still in a funk, upset that his little sister had died...again. He had figured that her restoring his humanity was her sign of forgiving him. Doyle had explained that Virginia had had a destiny to fulfill and, apparently, now she had. 

Angel and Cordy had been fighting since it happened. She couldn't understand that in a matter of a few moments Gin had done a complete 180 and started working on the side of good. Now he hadn't spoken to her in two days since the argument came to a head. Now she was searching for something that would help Angel fill the hole he was apparently feeling. And she had an idea how to do it, but she wasn't sure how to accomplish it. 

"Not yet, Cordelia. I am not even sure that a spell like that exists," the former watcher answered, looking through another book. 

"It must exist. After all, Doyle is alive again." 

"But a Goddess brought him back to life. She is probably able to perform spells no one else can." 

"I refuse to take that for an answer, Wesley," Cordelia protested. She walked to the door after picking up her purse and keys. 

"Where are you going?" 

"To visit someone who may know the answer." 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

Cordelia looked around Carita's, her eyes landing on the Host, who was up on stage singing a song. He had just started so she waited for him to get off the stage. 

"I need answers. May I get up there?" she nodded toward the stage. 

"Of course," the host smiled, making his way back up on stage. It had been a slow couple of days. People came into the club, but didn't need any answers. "And now, for your pleasure, the warrior's beautiful assistant, Cordelia!" 

She smiled and got up onto the stage and took the microphone. The opening strains of the music started to play and she started to sing in her slightly off-key voice. 

_"Ooooooo, Ooooooo, Ooooooo"___

_"Everybody's tellin all, baring their souls,_   
_Just to go on the Rikki Lake Show_   
_Shoo-bi-doop-doop-why_   
_Last night I turned the TV on,_   
_You were booed off stage, singin your famous love song_   
_Why_   
_And tell me who makes the rules"_

She closed her eyes and tried not to think of all the eyes trained on her. Acting in front of people was one thing; singing in front of people was another one entirely. 

_"Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Wanna belong to the world today_   
_Oh, Life's a bitch and then ya die_   
_Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Can't believe what I heard today_   
_Oh yeah, Life's a bitch and then ya die"_

That last line made her think about Doyle and then about Virginia and one day Angel would be in the same position. 

_"Shoo-bi-doop-bow_   
_I mean, while I got my magazine tellin me,_   
_Sellin me lies on how I could be the perfect ten_   
_Shoo-bi-doop-doop-why_   
_And my boyfriend left just the other day,_   
_He's all messed up, is he straight or is he gay_   
_Shoo-bi-doop-doop-why_   
_So tell me who makes the rules"___

_"Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Wanna belong to the world today_   
_Oh, Life's a bitch and then ya die_   
_Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Can't believe what I heard today_   
_Oh yeah, Life's a bitch and then ya die"_

Someday they would all go through that...someday they'd all die and, to Cordelia, it seemed almost as if the PTB were just testing them to see who could amuse them the most. 

_"So if I fall_   
_If I fall...oh...all"___

_"Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Wanna belong to the world today_   
_Oh, Life's a bitch and then ya die_   
_Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Can't believe what I heard today_   
_Oh yeah, Life's a bitch and then ya die"___

_"Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Wanna belong to the world today_   
_Oh, Life's a bitch and then ya die_   
_Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Can't believe what I heard today_   
_Oh yeah, Life's a bitch and then ya die"_

She had heard one time on "Xena: Warrior Princess" that life was just a game that the gods played for their own amusement. She guessed that it was still true. 

_"Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Wanna belong to the world today_   
_Oh, Life's a bitch and then ya die_   
_Shoulda been born on the Milky Way_   
_Can't believe what I heard today_   
_Oh yeah, Life's a bitch and then ya die"_

The music faded out and she took a small bow and got off the stage, heading toward the Host. 

"What can you tell me? Is it possible?" 

"I would think so, sister," the host smiled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, which he then handed to her. "Virginia gave me this about a day after your little British friend came in asking about her. She gave this to me and told me to give it to you guys if Doyle were to die again. I hope it helps." 

"Thank you." Cordelia left and looked at what it is that Gin had wanted them to have. As she read, a large smile crossed her face. 

_()o()_ _()o()_ _()o()_ 

That night Angel was sitting on the edge of the roof, looking out over the city, thinking about his sister. He still loved her, even though she didn't have a soul. He wished that she were still around. He knew that by Mnemosyne turning on her, she had switched to his side. He had seen the way she fought those vamps and she would have made an awesome ally and friend. 

He heard the roof door open and close and he recognized the sound of Cordelia's shoes on the cement of the roof as she came closer. She sat down next to him and put her arm around him and gave him a slight hug. 

"How are you doing?" she asked softly 

"Same," he replied in a monotonous voice that reminded him of Virginia in front of the mausoleum. 

"I'm sorry. I think I understand about your sister though. She could have changed. It's happened before. I can't think of a specific instance, except for Spike, but I think I understand." 

Angel gave a half smile. "Thank you." 

"I have a surprise for you. I think you'll like it. But you're gonna have to stand up." 

"What is it?" he asked suspiciously. 

"Stand up and you'll find out." When he did as she said, she continued. "Now close your eyes until I tell you to open them." 

Angel started to protest but was cut off by her look then he quickly complied. He heard her move away from him, her heels clacking all the way. A short while later they came back toward him. 

"Okay, you can open your eyes." Angel heard the smile in her voice. He opened his eyes and they widened as he saw his sister in front of him. 

"Virginia?" he asked softly. 

"It's me Angel. I'm alive," she replied, a soft smile on her face. Angel smiled back and she ran into his open arms, giving him a large hug. 

"I forgive you," she whispered into his ear. 

**The End**

_{{Song Credit: "Life's a Bitch" by Caporaso/Kelly/Thompson. Published by EMI April Music Inc./Luciana Caporaso Publishing/David Thompson Publishing/Patrick Kelly Publishing (ASCAP) and is sung by Shooter.}}_


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